Preview: Hyderabad, Kerala Blasters clash in battle to seal playoffs spot

The Hyderabad FC juggernaut will be put to test against Kerala Blasters who themselves will be desperate to get back to winning ways and cement their place in the top four, in a crunch 2021-22 Indian Super League encounter here on Wednesday.

Table-toppers Hyderabad have all but secured their place in the semifinals, having 32 points from 17 matches. They would want to consolidate their lead at the top further with Jamshedpur FC -- 31 points from 16 games -- breathing down their neck. Both Jamshedpur and third-placed ATK Mohun Bagan have a game in hand and can potentially knock Hyderabad off their perch if they drop points against Kerala who have their own top-four aspirations.

Kerala are seated fourth in the table with 27 points from 16 outings, and a win on Wednesday would see them further securing their place in the top-four with Bengaluru FC (26 points) and Mumbai City FC (25 points) also in the fray in fifth and sixth place respectively. 

The Stakes

Hyderabad FC

"We are happy. But we have a lot to improve. The season has been fantastic for Hyderabad FC. Similarly, Kerala is having a very good season and their offensive players are brilliant," said Hyderabad FC Head Coach Manolo Marquez.

Bartholomew Ogbeche is having the best season in India this time his contribution to Hyderabad's success has been immense, to say the least. The Nigerian became the second player to reach the 50 goal milestone in the ISL in their last match against FC Goa. By the final whistle, he scored his second goal and overtook Sunil Chhetri to become the highest-scoring player in the ISL.

Ogbeche scored his fourth brace of the season and his ninth overall in the ISL in the last match. His tally for goals for the season now stands at 16. He broke his personal record of 15 goals in a single season of the ISL. He has his sights on another record now – most goals by a player in a single season of the ISL.

Kerala Blasters FC

Adrian Luna is Kerala's answer to Ogbeche and the contest between two superstars of this season will be one to watch out for. The Spanish midfielder has been a vital cog in Kerala's wheel. In the last match, he scored both of KBFC’s goals in their 2-2 draw against ATK Mohun Bagan. It was his first-ever brace in the ISL.

He has scored 4 goals and provided 6 assists this season. He is the only Kerala player to have 10 or more goal contributions this season. Including him, 11 players have 10 or more goal contributions in the competition. Luna is only the second Kerala player in their ISL history to have reached the 10 goal contribution mark for them. The only other player to achieve this feat for the club is, incidentally, Ogbeche.

"It's just another game, they are the best team in India and deservedly on top of the table. We've to stay concentrated and try to do well. I expect a tough game. We'll try to test something different tomorrow, every game is different. No problem, we've got enough players with quality," said Kerala Blasters' Head Coach Ivan Vukomanovic.

Team News

Hyderabad FC

Halicharan Narzary will miss out due to a long-term injury. There are no other fitness concerns. It will be interesting to see if Khassa Camara is named in the starting lineup.

Kerala Blasters FC

The outfit will be without Jorge Pereyra Diaz. He saw a red card in the previous match against ATK Mohun Bagan. Rahul KP could make a start after a long spell on the sidelines. Kerala Blasters will also miss full-back Sandeep Singh, who is suspended after receiving his fourth yellow card of the season in the previous game.

Head-to-Head

Hyderabad FC have won two games against Kerala Blasters in five encounters. Ivan Vukomanovic's side has won the rest three including the latest 1-0 victory in the first half of the season.

Probable Lineups

Hyderabad FC: Laxmikant Kattimani (GK), Asish Rai, Juanan, Chinglensana Singh, Akash Mishra, Joao Victor, Sauvik Chakrabarti, Nikhil Poojary, Bartholomew Ogbeche, Aniket Jadhav, Javier Siverio.

Kerala Blasters FC: Prabhsukhan Gill (GK), Bijoy V, Marko Leskovic, Enes Sipovic, Harmanjot Khabra, Sahal Abdul Samad, Jeakson Singh, Lalthathanga Khawlhring, Vincy Barretto, Adrian Luna, Alvaro Vazquez.

Did you know?

• Hyderabad FC has already collected more points this year (32) than they did last season (29).
• Hyderabad FC and Kerala Blasters (both 8) have conceded 8 goals in the second half of games this season. This is the joint best record in the league this season.
• No team has conceded fewer goals than Kerala Blasters (17) this season and scored more than Hyderabad FC(39).
• Bart Ogbeche (16) is two goals away from breaking Ferran Corominas (18) record of most goals in a single season of the ISL.

Telecast

Kerala Blasters FC vs Hyderabad FC will be played at the Athletic Stadium in Bambolim on 23 February (Wednesday). The game will be telecast live on the Star Sports Network. The match will also be live streamed on the Disney+Hotstar platform and the JioTV app.

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